


The Healing Process

by DracoAngel



Series: The Muses [2]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, NSFW, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 15:38:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7579921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoAngel/pseuds/DracoAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arry Lavellan is heartbroken over Solas ending their relationship, despite the brave face she puts on. But The Iron Bull is no fool, he read her the moment he laid his eye on her when she returned from Crestwood. He goes to her hoping to cheer her spirits...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Healing Process

Despite wanting to put on a strong face, she had locked herself away in her room for days after their visit to Crestwood. Everything was going so well between them. Where did she go wrong?

Arry swallowed down past the lump forming in her throat, she refused to shed anymore tears. Not that she had any left. Now it was just painful dry sobbing. And that was something she definitely didn’t want to do, especially with a needle in her hand.

To occupy her thoughts, she had gone to work on fixing her coat that had acquired yet another gash in the fabric.

She looked over the coat in her hands that was more patchwork than the original work anymore. It was the only thing left from her life with her clan, a gift from her Keeper the day she received her vallaslin and was officially named First to the clan.

It was a simple thing, a long sleeveless trench coat of varying shades of green, the pattern made to resemble a leaf. Her fingers stopped sewing and touched the tiny veridium leaves that hung on the seam of the coat. Gifts from Solas.

Pain lurched in her chest at the thought of the day he had given them to her. Her fingers wrapped around one, she fully intended to tear it away… but stopped. No, even now she couldn’t.

Arry sighed heavily and released the leaf and looked up, catching her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were still puffy and slightly pink, her cheeks stained with dry tear trails that she hadn’t washed away. Cheeks that seemed as vacant as her chest where her heart was supposed to be.

She touched her face where the markings of Falon’Din once painted her skin. Now they were gone, yet another thing Solas had taken.

She looked back down at the coat, “You truly are the only thing I have left.” She said to it. “Even my  _vallaslin_  is gone.”

She sat in silence for a while and looked back up at her reflection and fingered her long hair; hair that she had grown out of the side-cut she once donned because Solas loved to run his fingers through it. “Would the Clan even recognize you?” She asked. “Your hair long,  _vallaslin_  gone, more scars both inside and out, and called the Herald of Andraste.”

Pain and anger clenched around her heart, she gripped her coat and threw it in the direction of the stairs. “I don’t deserve to keep it.” She said in a husky voice.

Arry didn’t know how long she just sat there, staring into the abyss of her dark thoughts. She wasn’t even aware of a visitor until they spoke.

“Hey Boss.” The Iron Bull said from the top of the stairs, startling her.

“Bull?” Her voice croaked, she cleared it and rubbed her cheek futilely. “W-what are you doing in here? How did you…”

The Qunari gave her a lopsided smile. “I’ve helped knock down stone walls, you really think a wooden door would stop me?” He asked lightly.

Her eyes widened, “Please tell me you didn’t knock down my door.”

He came more into the room waving a hand in dismissal while the other carried a package wrapped in brown paper. “Nah.” He stopped and looked down at her crumpled up coat on the floor and bent to pick it up.

“Leave it.” She said more sharply than she intended.

He raised an eyebrow but shrugged. He came to the bed and sat beside her.

Arry took a deep breath. “Sorry, I don’t mean to snap.”

“Don’t worry about it, Boss.” Bull with a smile. He studied her a few moments before handing her the package. “This is for you.”

She took it gingerly, whatever it was had a lot of give to it. Something like a stuffed toy. “What’s this?”

“I have a few Qunari contacts left that haven’t bailed yet, so I had them scrounge this up for me.”

“Okay, but what is it?” She turned the package around in her hands.

Bull laughed. “Open it and find out.”

With a shrug she tore away the paper revealing the prize within. “It’s… rope… and cloth?”

He laughed again and pulled out the rope, placing it on the bed.

“Uh…” Arry’s cheeks flushed with the way her mind went. She knew Bull had some eccentric tastes in the bedroom, judging by conversations overheard. “Rather… bold. Don’t you think?”

He looked at her quizzically and then boomed in laughter. “This isn’t for that, Boss.” He grinned. “Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind that. But trust me, I wouldn’t be bringing the ropes and scarves on our first time together.”

Her body relaxed and she smirked. “You’re assuming that you would get a first night.” She teased.

He gave her a feral grin, “Weirder things have happened.”

She tried to smile back, but apparently her lips weren’t quite ready for that. It may have been easy to hide her pain behind banter, but she had never been very good at keeping it off her face.

Bull gave her a knowing nod and pulled out the cloth, unfolding it to reveal over-sized cloth black pants.

“A little big, don’t you think?” She asked as she fingered the material as he pulled out a long piece of blue cloth.

“Don’t worry, that’s what the rope is for.”

“Wait, this is all attire?” She asked watching him set out everything on the bed.

“Yep. You’re lookin’ at Qunari  _Antaam-saar_  armor.”

“You’re joking.” She said dryly. “Qunari actually go into fights in just…” She held up the blue cloth. “This.”

“Yep.” He took back the piece. “Roughest translation: dangerous body. Fitting for you.”

She rolled her eyes.

Bull seemed to mull over his next words, finally he went on. “I know this crap with Solas has been hard.”

Arry sighed. “Bull, please I…”

He held up a hand to stop her and stood. He went to the wash basin and dipped a towel in the water before coming back to her and started gently wiping her cheeks. “He’s an ass, and doesn’t know what he’s just thrown away.”

She diverted her eyes, but didn’t pull away or dispute it. “I just… I don’t know what I did. What I…”

He stopped and took her chin in a gentle grip between his fingers, forcing her to look at him. “It’s not you, Boss.” He said earnestly.

Arry stared into his one good grey eye, seeing a softness in it she wasn’t accustomed to. She brought a hand to the one that was holding her face and gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Bull.”

He nodded and finally released her and tossed the towel away. “Anyway, I thought maybe distracting you with how to put on Qunari armor would help.”

She chuckled. “You going to teach me?”

“Damn right.” He looked around, “Uh, got anything like a mannequin or something?”

“Why would… Oh.” Her cheeks heated up again. “I, uh, no… I never needed that.”

“Well, there is only two options then. One: get a model in here for me to show you. Or two: me putting it on you to show you.”

Arry worried at her lip. She never thought herself modest, she had no qualms with nudity amongst her clan. But she had never been put into a situation where she had to get naked in front of her companions; other than Solas, of course. But there was something about undressing in front of Bull, allowing him to see parts of her that only one other in the Inquisition had. For some reason the thought lit a warmth in her stomach.

“Okay.” She finally said. “I’ll do it.”

Bull regarded her. “You sure, Boss? Don’t want to make you do something you’re uncomfortable with.”

His sincerity and concern relaxed her. “Yeah, I’m sure. It’s just taking off clothes, right? I mean, I used to publicly bathe with my clan. This is no different.”

He chuckled. “Good to know.”

“Sorry.” She knew she tended to ramble when she was nervous. To keep from opening her mouth again, she rose from the bed and began undressing. She tried not to think about the fact that she could feel Bull’s intense gaze on her and she stripped away layers. Heat returned to her cheeks as she realized she had no smalls or breast band on underneath.

When she finally slipped off her pants she shrugged, not meeting his eye, “I… uh, should I put on some smalls… or…”

“Damn Boss.” Was his response.

Arry finally looked at him in surprise. His eye darker than usual with an almost hungry look. “B-Bull?” His scrutiny made heat pool in her stomach.

He wasn’t shy, his eye traveled slowly down her, drinking in her naked body. “I knew you kept in shape. But, damn, you’re hot. I’ve never seen an elf naked before. All smooth and muscle.” His eye came to hers. “Or is the no hair thing something you do?” He teased.

She shook her head. “No. All elves are like this.” She pointed to her dresser. “Do I need smalls?”

“Oh, right. You asked that already. No breast band. As for small clothes.” His eye dipped to her apex. “I personally don’t think you need them, but that’s just me.”

She controlled the urge to press her thighs together. How was it that his gaze affected her body the way it was?  “What first?” She finally asked.

Bull grinned when he realized that meant she was going all natural. He picked up one of the longer blue pieces of cloth and stood. “Let’s start with the top, shall we? Stand in front of the mirror.”

She raised an eyebrow in question.

“You need to be able to see what I’m doing, right?” He asked lightly.

“Oh, right.” She laughed lightly with nervousness and complied.

“All right. I’ll walk you through it.”

Arry tried to stay focused on his words and what he was doing. But it was difficult.

She found herself getting distracted more by just watching him. His huge frame compared to hers moving around her as she was naked. Watching his hands as they displayed a carefulness and gentleness that she didn’t know the qunari was capable of as he wrapped the cloth around her bosom and neck.

She had to remember to breath as she watched how close his hands were to her breasts and how they would occasionally brush over sensitive skin. Images played her in mind of his over-sized hand easily enveloping one.

By the time he was finished tying the top piece her nipples had stiffened, and it wasn’t something Bull missed.

He looked at her in the mirror and smirked. “Cold, Boss?”

She swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat. “Uh… huh.” Was the only thing she could say.

Bull gave her a knowing smile. “Well, we can put the pants on. To help with that cold. Or go to the rope. Your choice.”

“The rope.” She said without thinking, hoping that he wouldn’t hear the anticipation in her voice.

But like everything else, he didn’t miss a thing. She could tell by the glint in his eye. “Okay. The top rope is a bit involved. You should probably sit on the bed for it.”

She didn’t argue one way or another, just going and doing as she was bid.

Bull remained in his spot, just watching her. His eye bright like steel. Finally he joined her and began working on the rope that overlapped her chest piece. She noticed that he went slower and every so often would lift his gaze to her face, as if gauging something or looking for the go ahead.

At some point, she must have given it without realizing. Because one of his hands abandoned the rope and cupped a breast, his thumb rubbed over her hidden nipple making her breath catch. His hand roamed more, making sure to go slow in case at some point she wanted him to stop.

When she thrust her chest forward was all the encouragement he needed to slip his hand under the top he had just put on and slid it up, revealing her breast again.

And then he did something unexpected. She had thought he was going to continue using his hand. Instead he bent over and flicked his tongue over her stiff nub and then wrapped his lips around it.

Arry moaned as he sucked, bit and pulled. His hands pushed up the top, she idly felt bad for the work he had already done. But that thought dissolved as he massaged one breast and devoured the other, and then switched out to give the other breast the attention of his mouth.

By the time he was done she was rubbing her thighs together, trying in vain to give her the pressure her sex was wanting.

When Bull finally released her breasts she immediately pushed him back. She could see his uncertainty, thinking she was about to tell him to stop and leave. Instead, she straddled his lap and pressed down feeling his hardened cock under his pants.

She bit her lower lip and began dry humping him; a whimper escaped her lips with each pass over her over stimulated clit.

Bull gripped her thighs almost painfully, “Boss…” He growled out. “I don’t think you know what you’re asking. Not sure you’re ready for it.”

Arry immediately thought his hesitancy was due to the fact that she was in a pretty emotional state with her and Solas’ break-up. But no. It wasn’t that. It was that he knew that she knew about him in the sack, and judging by what she felt pressing against her, he was big. Bigger than anything she had ever had before.

“Oh, I’m ready for it.” She said, voice husky as she playfully pulled on the hem of his pants wanting the prize underneath.

“See, you say that, but…” He growled again as she pressed harder down on him, his qunari training was paying off at the moment. A lesser man would have succumbed long before now. “You really don’t know what that means.”

Arry leaned close to his neck, she licked and sucked on the pulse point. “Are we gonna do this or not?” She asked.

Finally, Bull lifted her and spun them around, pinning her to the bed beneath him causing her to gasp in surprise. He held her gaze, “Last chance.”

A flutter in her chest that felt like butterfly wings caused her to pause. But the moment passed and she grinned wickedly, not completely knowing what was coming over her. “A little slower and a lot harder.”

* * *

* * *

 

He had just crested over the top of the stairs as The Iron Bull practically ripped off his pants and then traveled down Arry’s body with kisses until he reached her sex.

Solas had been in such a shock that he didn’t move until the familiar sounds of her panting and moaning broke him out of his stupor. He spun around so quickly that he nearly tumbled down the stairs. He managed to catch himself and he halted waiting to be caught.

But her moaning the word  _Bull_  said they were too lost in each other to notice anything else.

As quietly as he could he rushed out of the Inquisitor’s quarters.

Solas should have been happy that she was able to push what happened between them out of her thoughts. His guilt was what caused him to venture to her room to make sure she was all right.

He should have been happy that she was no longer wallowing in grief.

So why did it feel like his heart was being crushed in a vice?


End file.
